Birth certificates were obtained from Washington state and Minnesota for all births in the 2 years prior to the survey. The data were collected in a telephone survey in February 2006. The reasons parents gave for their child's viewing are also reported. Sociodemographic factors were tested for their associations to viewing time. Our study uses a large sample of parents of children aged 2 to 24 months to determine the amount of television, video, and DVD material viewed by young children, and to characterize the content of the viewing by age. Finally, prior analyses have not attempted to identify the average age of first viewing or the effects of demographic variables, such as the number of older siblings on viewing habits. While the findings outlined for older children have been illuminating, it is unclear to what extent they can be generalized to younger children also, the reasons for viewing may be different for children younger than 2 years than for those aged from 2 to 6 years. 7, 10, 11, 14Ī limitation of the current research is the paucity of recent data on media viewing among children younger than 2 years. In addition, many parents believe the positive educational claims made for infant videos and television programs. Two recent reports documented the results of focus group assessments of parents' reasons for having their children watch television, 11, 13 which included the use of television as an electronic babysitter and a belief that television is entertaining for their children. Our understanding of why young children watch television deserves enhancement. These surveys have also not identified what types of content young children are viewing. For example, a recent report stated that “61% of babies under 2 years old use screen media.” 11 This finding is interesting and important, but does not tell us how many children will become regular media consumers before they are aged 2 years. 10 - 12 These reports are provocative but present an incomplete picture of early television viewing. Recent studies have found that 64% to 100% of all infants and toddlers watch television before the age of 2 years. 7, 8 Because of the importance of parental interaction to development, it is believed that how children watch-in particular, whether they watch alone or with a parent-is also relevant. The results of 1 study suggest that what children younger than 2 years watch may be important for subsequent vocabulary development. 1, 2 There are both theoretical 2 and empirical 3 - 6 reasons to believe that the effects of media exposure on children's development are more likely to be adverse before the age of about 30 months than afterward. The public health implications of early television and video viewing are potentially large. Parental hopes for the educational potential of television can be supported by encouraging those parents who are already allowing screen time to watch with their children. Parents gave education, entertainment, and babysitting as major reasons for media exposure in their children younger than 2 years.Ĭonclusions Parents should be urged to make educated choices about their children's media exposure. Parents watched with their children more than half of the time. Among those who watched, the average viewing time per day rose from 1 hour per day for children younger than 12 months to more than 1.5 hours per day by 24 months. The median age at which regular media exposure was introduced was 9 months. By 24 months, this proportion rose to 90%. Results By 3 months of age, about 40% of children regularly watched television, DVDs, or videos. Main Outcome Measure The amount of regular television and DVD/video viewing by content, reasons for viewing, and frequency of parent-child coviewing. Households in which English was not spoken were excluded, as were children with major disabilities. Participants A random sample of parents of children born in the previous 2 years was drawn from birth certificate records. Setting Parents in Minnesota and Washington state were surveyed. Objective To determine the television-, DVD-, and video-viewing habits of children younger than 2 years.ĭesign A telephone survey of 1009 parents of children aged 2 to 24 months. Shared Decision Making and Communication.Scientific Discovery and the Future of Medicine.Health Care Economics, Insurance, Payment.Clinical Implications of Basic Neuroscience.Challenges in Clinical Electrocardiography.
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